The Steven Campbell Trust

Steven Campbell: ‘Spider on the Window, Monster in the Land’

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Steven Campbell references the history of art and philosophy in order to create his own distinctive narratives and mythology. Literature too served as an inspiration for Campbell, and he was particularly drawn to the greats of the Gothic genre.

This nod to Gothic literature is apparent in Campbell’s painting Spider on the Window, Monster in the Land (above), a piece inspired by an Edgar Allan Poe story – a tale which, according to Campbell himself, ‘took its inspiration from a painting’ [1]

In Poe’s story, the protagonist looks through a window and sees a monster on the hill in the distance. Terrified, he looks again, realising that the monster is actually only a spider on the window. [2]

This seems to be the case in Campbell’s painting too, but on closer inspection, it becomes apparent that the artist has complicated matters by placing figures in the landscape, fleeing in fear – a pictorial trick that raises the question: is the insect located on the web in the window, or is it enormous and chasing people through the landscape beyond the glass?

As the writer Duncan MacMillan says in his book on Campbell, the artist is investigating ‘different levels of painted space, and depths of narrative reality’ [3], an idea that’s reinforced by the symbolism featured in the piece.

One of the characters in Campbell’s painting holds a book, perhaps intended to make us think of the stories we often use to interpret our own reality. There are also mirrors spaced throughout the composition: alluding to the different artists throughout history who have used mirrors as pictorial devices intended to peel back and expose the illusions contained in the picture plane itself. In this painting, there are two figures reflected in what appears to be a large mirror on the left of the central group. This device is reminiscent of the unconventional composition found in the painting Las Meninas, by the 17th century artist Velazquez, in which a mirror is used to explore the spatial relationship between the sitters and the artist himself.

In the top lefthand corner of Campbell’s piece, we see another mirror – or possibly another painting – reflecting (or depicting) an insect scuttling across a landscape, making us even more aware that everything in this scene is illusion. This unsettling sense of artifice is further amplified by the inclusion of the strange, dislocated nudes, two of whom hold up hand mirrors that reflect nothing. Again, Campbell disorients with ambiguity, calling into question the painted reality he presents to us.

To quote Campbell himself here: ‘The flatness of the window is like the flatness of the canvas and the flatness of the mirrors. I painted the chairs and the women in the foreground flat to play with this idea of distance and flatness and what a canvas is.’ [4]

This painting is a wonderful example of the intricate games Campbell liked to play with perception – all the while exploring the language and sign systems we use to construct our understanding of the world around us.

~Sources used in this blog post: The Paintings of Steven Campbell: The Story So Far/ by Duncan MacMillan/ Publisher: South London Gallery/ Date Published: 1993 (p.83 &111). If you’re wanting to find out more about the work of Steven Campbell, we would highly recommend getting this Duncan MacMillan book, which looks at Campbell’s work in a great deal of depth.

Footnotes:

[1] – p.83/ The Paintings of Steven Campbell: The Story So Far/ by Duncan MacMillan/ Publisher: South London Gallery/ Date Published: 1993

[2] p.111 – The Artist in Conversation/ Steven Campbell describes his recent paintings in conversation with Duncan Macmillan, Bollochleam, Wednesday 10 March 1993 / The Paintings of Steven Campbell: The Story So Far/ by Duncan MacMillan/ Publisher: South London Gallery/ Date Published: 1993

[3] – p.83/ The Paintings of Steven Campbell: The Story So Far/ by Duncan MacMillan/ Publisher: South London Gallery/ Date Published: 1993

[4] p.111 – The Artist in Conversation/ Steven Campbell describes his recent paintings in conversation with Duncan Macmillan, Bollochleam, Wednesday 10 March 1993 / The Paintings of Steven Campbell: The Story So Far/ by Duncan MacMillan/ Publisher: South London Gallery/ Date Published: 1993

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Autumn Journal, an Exhibition by Leo Arnold, Winner of the Steven Campbell Hunt Medal 2015

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*Leo Arnold, Autumn journal, exhibition view. Courtesy of Annet Gelink Gallery. Photo by Gert Jan van Rooij*

The Steven Campbell Trust would like to congratulate Leo Arnold on his new solo exhibition Autumn Journal, taking place at the Annet Gelink Gallery in Amsterdam, in which he ‘constructs a personal journal that hangs across the gallery: an intuitive and emotional register of his life lived in Amsterdam.’

Leo won the Steven Campbell Hunt Medal for Poetic Creativity in 2015, and we are delighted to see him continuing to fulfil his creative ambitions.

~Quotes and images were sourced from Annet Gelink Gallery’s website. For more information, please visit: https://www.meer.com/en/106603-autumn-journal

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Steven Campbell 1953-2007

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Steven in studio, 1980s.

Photo credit: Greer Campbell

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Steven Campbell Trust Workshops – Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, 24th & 25th November 2025

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One of the ways that the Trust continues to honour Steven’s life and work is through activities and workshops for schools.

This year, artist Sandy Grant led an intensive two-day life-painting workshop at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum for pupils from 8 schools, including Hillhead High, Holyrood Secondary, St Paul’s High, Rosshall Academy, Springburn Academy, St Mungo’s Academy, St Thomas Aquinas Secondary, and Hyndland Academy.

The work was once again of a very high standard and the young people developed new skills through Sandy’s careful tutoring.

There was an enormous amount of dedication, energy and talent on display during this year’s workshop, and the attendees were all a credit to their schools.

We would like to give a massive thank you to Cass Art for generously supplying us with a wealth of art materials for use during the workshop. For charitable organisations like the Steven Campbell Trust, such support makes a huge difference, allowing educational events like this to run. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with Cass Art in the future.

Our thanks also to the staff at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum for their support, and for providing us with a wonderful creative environment in which to hold the class.

Here are some of the impressive results from this year’s workshop:

One of the participants also kindly shared her thoughts on what she learnt about Steven Campbell, the techniques explored during the course of the class, and what it was like taking part in a workshop at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, surrounded by inspiring artworks:

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STEVEN CAMPBELL: EXPLORING ILLUSION

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Steven Campbell, ***The Man who Climbs Maps***

‘I think I became less interested in art, conceptual versus figurative, that kind of thing, and I became more interested in thinking about why things are the way they are…’ [1] – Steven Campbell.

Steven Campbell’s work displays a persistent fascination with illusion and the levels of reality that exist within a painting. By their nature, figurative paintings are flat and static, showing fixed and illusory worlds, the subjects trapped in time, caught in the confines of the canvas. As the writer Duncan MacMillan observes, while Campbell’s characters ‘innocently explore the apparent freedom of the world they inhabit, they run up against its limits, and, unconsciously, burlesque the limitations of the painter’s art and so of life itself.’ [2]

In the above painting, The Man who climbs Maps, we see the character of the Lost Hiker. Like so many of Campbell’s characters, the Hiker has strayed from his path, and in desperation, attempts to climb his map as if it were a cliff face.

Here, Campbell invites the viewer to consider the nature of painted space. In the world of painted narrative, everything is two-dimensional and on the same plane of existence: the flat illustrations on the map essentially no different from the surrounding landscape and the Hiker himself [3]. Confused, the character mistakes the map for the territory as he embarks on his expedition.

Another interesting detail in the above painting is the signpost on the bottom left. Such signposts appear often in Campbell’s work, indicating that the characters are suspended between different places, in a sort of limbo or no-man’s land. They never reach their goal or destination, and are trapped in an illusory world that frustrates them at every turn.

Steven Campbell, ***Young Camper Discovering a Grotto in the Ground***

In Young Camper Discovering a Grotto in the ground, Campbell further explores the illusion of painted space. It has seven figures in different scales, and in this crowded painting, we’re not entirely sure who the camper is, and it may in fact be all of them.

The perspective here seems intentionally confusing: we don’t know whether characters are in the background or foreground, and are finally led to conclude that each figure inhabits his own ‘grotto’ of space in the picture-plane. [4] These grottos overlap in a sort of mosaic, confusing the viewer, and apparently confusing the characters themselves. Campbell has taken images that may have made pictorial sense, and then dismantled, restructured and overlapped them, to demonstrate that representational painters deal only in illusion.

**On Form and Fiction***, View of Steven Campbell Exhibition Installation at the Third Eye Centre Glasgow, 1990*

Campbell made this a major theme of his work in an exhibition at the Third Eye Centre in Glasgow (now the Centre for Contemporary Art) in 1990. The show questioned received notions about reality, often in a humorous way.

Steven Campbell, ***Not you as well, Snowy***

In many of the paintings, certain figures or objects were missing, showing only white canvas in the place that they had once been or were intended to be.

The above painting Not you as well, Snowy, shows a young man returning home to see that his cat has also undergone this horrible metamorphosis, snatched from reality to leave only a white silhouette in its place [5]. Something which, to us, is only a bit of blank canvas in the middle of the picture plane, becomes the shape of this poor character’s missing cat – snatched away into the ether, leaving only his shadow and his paws. In this disturbing yet humorous way, Campbell questions the reality of our own world.

Sources used in this blog post : The Paintings of Steven Campbell: The Story So Far/ by Duncan MacMillan/ Publisher: South London Gallery/ Date Published: 1993 (p.27, 36, 37, 65 & 108). If you’re wanting to find out more about the work of Steven Campbell, we would highly recommend getting this Duncan MacMillan book, which looks at Campbell’s work in a great deal of depth.

Footnotes:

[1] – p.108 / The Artist in Conversation/ Steven Campbell describes his recent paintings in conversation with Duncan Macmillan, Bollochleam, Wednesday 10 March 1993 / The Paintings of Steven Campbell: The Story So Far/ by Duncan MacMillan/ Publisher: South London Gallery/ Date Published: 1993

[2] – p.36 / The Paintings of Steven Campbell: The Story So Far/ by Duncan MacMillan/ Publisher: South London Gallery/ Date Published: 1993

[3] – p.27 / The Paintings of Steven Campbell: The Story So Far/ by Duncan MacMillan/ Publisher: South London Gallery/ Date Published: 1993

[4] – p.37 / The Paintings of Steven Campbell: The Story So Far/ by Duncan MacMillan/ Publisher: South London Gallery/ Date Published: 1993

[5] – p.65 / The Paintings of Steven Campbell: The Story So Far/ by Duncan MacMillan/ Publisher: South London Gallery/ Date Published: 1993

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SHIFT – Gallery/Project Space/Studio

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The Steven Campbell Trust are delighted to announce that Ellis Bairstow – our Hunt medal winner for 2025 – has set up an exciting new gallery, project space, and studio in Glasgow for emerging artists, located at B/5 12 Washington Street, Glasgow, United Kingdom G3 8PT.

“Introducing Shift, an art platform for early career creatives and artists to make, develop, and exhibit.

Shift provides exhibition opportunities and studio residencies for artists at the early stages of their careers, supporting them as they push their practice forward.

We’ve created a space that artists can fully transform to suit their vision — a venue that adapts to them, rather than limiting what they can create.

By offering accessible, flexible exhibition space and hands-on support from a team to help you achieve your goals.

Shift aims to remove the barriers that often hold emerging artists back: restrictive venues, inconsistent opportunities, and a lack of dedicated platforms.

Shift is our next step toward making a lasting impact on Glasgow’s contemporary art scene and the voices shaping its future, building a future where artists can develop their practice and careers here in Glasgow.

Shift Gallery opens its program this Friday 21st November at 7pm-9pm with an exhibition by Fin Blue.”

*Cable Management*, an Exhibition by Fin Blue

“Fin’s practice moves between digital sources, physical wandering, and the translation of experience into image. Beginning with ideas and locations gathered online, Fin shifts into a slower, more tactile process of walking and composing, considering how what he sees might be flattened, distilled, or reimagined.

In this body of work, he replaces the camera with what he calls “cable management,” drawing from the linear language of maps, diagrams, and graphs. These structures, designed to clarify information become visual material in their own right. By placing the recognisable tangle of cables in dialogue with the ordered logic of these diagrams, Fin invites viewers to consider how data becomes image, and how the systems surrounding us can be represented within the gallery space.

Follow along @shiftgalleryglasgow for more exciting updates!”

Fin Blue installing his exhibition *Cable Management*, now on at Shift, Regular Opening 22nd November – 5th December 11am-4pm (Subject to change)

The Steven Campbell Trust were honoured to gain a sneak preview of Cable Management today – and we very much enjoyed meeting Fin as he installed his work in this brilliant new Glasgow exhibition venue.

We at the Steven Campbell Trust wish Fin, Ellis, and everyone else involved in Shift the best of luck with their exciting new venture.

Ellis Bairstow at his Glasgow School of Art Degree show. Ellis, the founder of Shift, was the winner of the 2025 Steven Campbell Trust Medal for Poetic Creativity

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Steven Campbell: Perspectives on Painting

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Steven Campbell had a wide knowledge and understanding of the history of art and literature, and he combined this knowledge with a cutting-edge approach to making work. He was interested in the large scale, monumental figure painting of the past, and his work bridges the gulf between what is seen as a traditional way of producing art, to something more knowing and conceptual. Campbell’s use and referencing of traditional figure painting is in fact typical of what we would call a ‘postmodern’ approach, where elements from the past history of art are referenced in a contemporary art work, often in a very self-aware and ironic fashion.

*Steven Campbell,* ***Hunter Looking for his Glasses***

Campbell’s work shows an affection for figurative painting, whilst also acknowledging its often absurd rigidity and pomposity. This can be seen in his piece Hunter Looking for his Glasses (above). In this painting, you can see the character of the hunter: a slightly sinister man with a game bag and a gun who’s stalking his way through the painted landscape. Like the detective in Poised Murder (discussed in a previous blog entry), the hunter character seems to be at a bit of a loss. As the title implies, he’s misplaced his glasses, and so stumbles around with double vision, on a quest to try and rediscover his sight. [1]

In the foreground of the painting is the cupid from Cezanne’s 1908 Still-Life with Cupid, which you can see in its original form below.

By including this cupid, Campbell’s poking fun at both himself and other artists who attempt to reference the history of ‘great art’ – hunting blindly, like the myopic hunter character here, for some sort of meaning, with the result that they often get lost.

Campbell’s work goes far beyond any debate about contemporary art and representation, however. In an interview, Steven said: ‘I think I became less interested in art, conceptual versus figurative, that kind of thing, and I became more interested in thinking about why things are the way they are.’ [2] In an upcoming post, we aim to discuss this quote, and Steven Campbell’s interest in levels of painted reality.

Footnotes:

[1] – p.16 & 59 / The Paintings of Steven Campbell: The Story So Far/ by Duncan MacMillan/ Publisher: South London Gallery/ Date Published: 1993

[2] p.108 – The Artist in Conversation/ Steven Campbell describes his recent paintings in conversation with Duncan Macmillan, Bollochleam, Wednesday 10 March 1993 / The Paintings of Steven Campbell: The Story So Far/ by Duncan MacMillan/ Publisher: South London Gallery/ Date Published: 1993

A major source used in this blog post was The Paintings of Steven Campbell: The Story So Far/ by Duncan MacMillan/ Publisher: South London Gallery/ Date Published: 1993 (p.12, 16, 59, & 108). If you’re wanting to find out more about the work of Steven Campbell, we would highly recommend getting this Duncan MacMillan book, which looks at Campbell’s work in a great deal of depth.

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Steven Campbell – Poised Murder and the Character of Hunt

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Campbell (1953-2007) was a prolific painter ‘who placed performance and symbolism at the heart of everything he created’ [1], and whose imaginative work enhanced the reputation of Scottish art and culture on the international stage. He was interested in the ‘fictional structures of art’ [2], and was inspired by a wide range of things: from historical events and eras, to performance, literature, film and poetry – and he used the painted figure as a means to express his curiosity about all of this.

Since his time at the Glasgow School of Art, Campbell was deeply fascinated by the figure. One of the first ways he approached this, was through performance. Above is a photograph taken in 1981 of a performance called Poised Murder, in which Campbell created an artificial and stylized environment, based on the glamorous aesthetic of black and white Hollywood movies in the nineteen thirties and forties [3]. The actors in the performance dressed in clothes of this era: the men wearing black polo necks, medallions and Brylcreem in their hair; the women in silver skirts, fishnet tights and high heels.

The performance lasted 15 minutes, and the actors adopted murderous poses in time with music. In the middle of the scene, a detective crawled around on all fours, trying to solve the murders as they were taking place. You can see here that Campbell was interested in fiction, in theatrical actions and gestures – in danger and murder – and in creating characters that attempted to solve, often completely unsolvable, mysteries.

This interest in performance and theatricality continued on into Campbell’s paintings: his work becoming a stage where characters could inhabit an unreal world of painted scenery. As in his ‘Poised Murder’ performance, the figures that populate Campbell’s paintings adopt exaggerate poses, fixed in the centre of compositions that have their own mysterious, bizarre and self-contained narratives.

The detective crawling around on all fours in Poised Murder, transformed into other characters that he would use in his paintings: characters that are detectives, hikers, hunters and travellers, and are comparable to artists in the sense that they’re always searching or hunting for something, attempting to discover and unravel some sort of truth. Campbell liked to explore the role of the artist as detective, but like the detective in Poised Murder – crawling pointlessly around searching for clues and uncovering nothing while murders take place all around him – Campbell was very much aware of the often ridiculous, comedic and futile nature of such a grand search for truth. The predicaments his characters find themselves in in his work, reflects this.

*Steven Campbell,* ***Third Fire Today***

During his final year at the Glasgow School of Art, Campbell created a character called ‘Hunt’, inspired by a 1940s-style murder magazine [4]. Hunt is a very shady, ambiguous character, whose personality seems to be in a constant state of flux. The painting Third Fire Today shows Hunt standing on the edge of looting and violence, and we’re unsure whether he’s been participating or not. He’s dressed in a brown shirt – the uniform of a Nazi foot soldier. He’s also got a Hitler-style haircut, and we’re unsure what terrible crimes he may or may not have committed.

Hunt, as a character, seems to represent the temptation of evil. The writer Duncan Macmillan describes him as a sort of Doppelganger, ‘a personification of the hidden dark side that exists in all of us’ [5]. Hunt isn’t entirely evil, however, and he’s not a straightforward villain: he’s just a very impressionable character who gets drawn into bad things. In this sense, this makes him far easier to relate to. Hunt makes us consider what we’d be capable of in certain circumstances, and the potential for wrongdoing that exists in all of us.

The above painting is called Hunt Falling. Falling is an in between state: you’re neither up nor down – and in a sense Hunt is always suspended like this, between good and evil. According to Campbell, Hunt got drawn into Nazi-ism because he was misguided, and his ‘Fall’ is his moral despair when he realizes, too late, his mistake.

Campbell was interested in this ‘in-between’ state in all of us, in our constant crisis of identity, and liked to explore the idea that art itself is a sort of in-between state: a state of flux between ourselves and our own interpretation of the world around us; and falling is like inspiration, stumbling forward into the unknown.

*Steven Campbell,* ***Flapping like an Aspen***

Hunt then transformed into various other characters in Campbell’s later work. When he left art school, Campbell’s paintings began to feature Abraham Van Helsing, from Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

The above painting shows Van Helsing inhabiting a dark, gothic crypt with a stained-glass window behind him, and like Hunt, we’re not entirely sure what Van Helsing’s intentions are. He’s suspended somewhere between the darkness of the crypt, and the light of the window, and though there are flowers sprouting from the ground, we know a corpse might be buried beneath them. As the writer Duncan MacMillan says in his book on Campbell, Van Helsing’s engaged in the pursuit of the strange and bizarre, attempting to pin it down with a stake through its heart [6], just like an artist trying to discover the illusive goals of painting. Van Helsing haunts dark places, and like many artists, is obsessed with the ‘Undead’ – or, to put it another way – the history of ‘great’ painting.

The Trust hopes you’ve enjoyed finding out a little more about the intriguing cast of characters that inhabit Steven Campbell’s paintings, which we’ll be exploring further in future posts.

Footnotes:

[1] -The Herald/ Published Date: 16^th November 2019

Jan Patience, ‘Artist aims to stretch our understanding of the human body’

[2] – p.13/ The Paintings of Steven Campbell: The Story So Far/ by Duncan MacMillan/ Publisher: South London Gallery/ Date Published: 1993

[3] – p.12/ The Paintings of Steven Campbell: The Story So Far/ by Duncan MacMillan/ Publisher: South London Gallery/ Date Published: 1993

[4] – p.13/ The Paintings of Steven Campbell: The Story So Far/ by Duncan MacMillan/ Publisher: South London Gallery/ Date Published: 1993

[5] – p.14 / The Paintings of Steven Campbell: The Story So Far/ by Duncan MacMillan/ Publisher: South London Gallery/ Date Published: 1993

[6] – p.16 / The Paintings of Steven Campbell: The Story So Far/ by Duncan MacMillan/ Publisher: South London Gallery/ Date Published: 1993

A major source used in this blog post was The Paintings of Steven Campbell: The Story So Far/ by Duncan MacMillan/ Publisher: South London Gallery/ Date Published: 1993 (p.12-16). If you’re wanting to find out more about the work of Steven Campbell, we would highly recommend getting this Duncan MacMillan book, which looks at Campbell’s work in a great deal of depth.

Hunt Medal

Ellis Bairstow, The Steven Campbell Trust, Hunt Medal Recipient, 2025.

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The Steven Campbell Trust were delighted to attend the Directors private preview event at Glasgow School of Art on Thursday 29th May. It is always exciting visiting GSA each year to view the work of all the talented artists’ exhibiting their degree shows in the School of Fine Art.

We would like to thank GSA for extending this invitation which was greatly appreciated, particularly Martin Newth, Head of the School of Fine Art and Julia Malle, Academic Support Manager, The Glasgow School of Art.

Each year we attend the Degree Show to make our annual award of The Hunt Medal, to an artist who we believe demonstrates poetic creativity in their work. After much discussion on the exciting work on show, we were unanimous in our appreciation of the work of Ellis Bairstow for his exhibition ‘Vertical Glasgow’ and are delighted to announce that he is the 2025 recipient of our Hunt Medal award. The Steven Campbell Trust would like to wish Ellis much success in his future career.

Artist Statement:

Ellis Bairstow is a primarily photographic artist. His work looks at documenting socio-economic and political issues and how this has impacted the lives of people. He attempts to communicate this in a way that brings it to the forefront of people’s minds. He sees the camera as a tool for documentation and deeply considers every aspect of how this can influence the audience’s perception.

Extra links:

Website – Ellisbairstow.com

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/ellis.bairstow/

Interview by Carol Campbell with Ellis Bairstow, GSA, June, 2025.

Selected photographs from Ellis Bairstow Degree Show Exhibition :’Vertical Glasgow’.

Education, Schools Workshops, Steven’s Birthday

Steven Campbell Trust Workshops – Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, 13th & 14th March, 2025.

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In the week preceding what would have been Steven Campbell’s 72nd birthday (Wednesday 19th March), young people from six Glasgow schools gathered to celebrate his legacy in a two-day life drawing workshop.

The sessions were led by painter Sandy Grant in Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. Materials were generously supplied by Cass Art. It was an intensive and productive two days.

With thanks to: St Pauls High School, St Mungo’s Academy, Lochend Community High, Rosshall Academy, Whitehall Secondary, St Andrews Academy.

Here are some photos and thoughts from participants.

Eva M.V. Hewitt, Hunt Medal recipient, 2023. Madrid update, 2024., Hunt Medal

Eva M.V. Hewitt – My Spanish Odyssey

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Eva M.V. Hewitt

My Spanish Odyssey

Since being awarded the 2023 Hunt Medal, the encouragement and mentorship provided to me by the Steven Campbell Trust team, has allowed me to excel in my further studies and grow in my career. This year I completed my Master’s in Fine Art at GSA; thereafter, I undertook an artist residency at The Nacional Museo del Prado, Madrid. The Steven Campbell Trust has been constant in its ongoing support, guidance and backing. I offer sincere thanks to those who operate at the very heart of the Trust: Carol Campbell, John Ferry, Neil Gilmour, Marion Marlow and Sandy Moffat – who embody the spirit of the Trust and demonstrate its core values.

Without a doubt, the most valuable aspects of my Masters programme were the one-to-one tailored tutorials. These were led by high-calibre artists whose work I have admired for many years. Namely, GSA alumni Stuart MacKenzie (RSA) and Michael Fullerton. Both encouraged and challenged my artistic practice, inspiring me to engage with, and research intently, the paintings of the great masters. Following my tutorial with Stuart MacKenzie, he nominated me for the 2024 Richard Ford Award – a prestigious accolade which he himself was the recipient of in 1983. This London-based award allows artists to study independently and directly from the masterpieces in the Prado. This intensive period of study is designed to develop knowledge of painting and drawing by direct exposure to the works in the Prado collection.

After arriving in Madrid, I was warmly welcomed to the Prado by Marisa Sanchez Gomez and Paloma Herranz González. I know the importance of establishing a consistent routine, to ensure good time management and discipline. Sketching in the public setting of the museum holds its own unique quality and hearing the reactions of visitors was a very honest, raw and rare insight, in real time! This contrasts starkly with my usual routine which involves more solitary work in my studio. The process is usually hidden and only the final pieces are selected for public viewing. My time at the Prado allowed me to grow in confidence, embracing my own style of mark making and maintaining focus on my muse of choice. Behind the scenes at the museum, I had access to the restoration workshop and the drawings cabinet. I could not quite believe the close proximity I had to the pieces, most notably some original works of Rubens, Goya and El Greco.

I was surrounded by onlookers from all over the world, hearing a range of languages spoken. Although verbal communication is key, I would argue that the work transcended the spoken word and united us under a universally understood language – the visual language of art.

My Spanish odyssey allowed me to reflect not only on my sketched outcomes (which I reviewed at the end of each day) but also the place where my museum work started. I fondly remember my mum taking me to visit Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum as a child; there, I would sketch the animals from life. The Nacional Museo del Prado, felt somewhat like an upgrade!

I acknowledge with gratitude the time I have spent at GSA and I eagerly look forward to continuing my connection with the Steven Campbell Trust. It is vital for me to protect and honour his legacy. My experience will stay with me for life, and the learning I have gained will greatly contribute to the furtherance of my career.

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In memoriam 19/03/53 – 15/08/07

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Steven in studio, 1980’s.

Photo credit: Greer Campbell

Hunt Medal

Erin McPhee, Hunt Medal Recipient 2024.

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The Steven Campbell Trust were delighted to attend the private preview event at Glasgow School of Art on Thursday 30th May. It was such a pleasure visiting GSA and seeing such a huge selection of talented artists. We would like to thank GSA for extending this invitation which was greatly appreciated,

Each year we attend the Degree Show to make our annual award of The Hunt Medal, to an artist who we believe demonstrates poetic creativity in their work. After much discussion on the exciting work on show, we were unanimous in our appreciation of the work of Erin McPhee and are delighted to announce that Erin is the 2024 recipient of our Hunt Medal award.

Erin McPhee: Artist’s Statement

My practice explores life and the relationships we have with one another. Often referencing family memorabilia and photographs, I aim to create emotionally driven works which are honest and sincere. I frequently turn to paint as my preferred medium as I enjoy the fluidity it can offer. This allows me to be intuitive with my marks and helps me to immerse myself further into my feelings rather than details.

Using large brushes, I work quickly, covering as much of the canvas as possible. The process is about being as present as possible and unafraid of the marks created from this. By providing the viewers with just enough information, I hope they can fill the rest of the gaps with their thoughts and feelings.

Painting, for me is about solidifying moments in time and presenting them as honestly as I can. I use my life and experiences as a catalyst for my work, but I do not intend for the viewers to approach the work and attempt to view it from my perspective.

I hope people are reminded of their lives when they see the work and that they can connect to what they see, through the moments and people that made them feel.

https://www.erinmcpheeart.com

Instagram: @erinmcphee_art

First Christmas, Oil on Canvas, 153x80cm

Steven’s Birthday

Steven’s 71st Birthday

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Education, Schools Workshops

Steven Campbell Trust – Schools’ Workshops 2024

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Above: Attendees of the 2024 Steven Campbell Trust workshop posing with some of their favourite paintings

One of the ways that the Trust continues to honour Steven’s life and work is through activities and workshops for schools.

This year, artist Claire Paterson, former winner of the Hunt Medal presented by the Trust, led an intensive two-day life-painting workshop at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum for fifteen pupils from nine schools, including Balfron High School, Hyndland Secondary, Lourdes Secondary, St Mungo’s Academy, Kelvinside Academy, Drumchapel High School, Hutcheson’s Grammar School, St Andrew’s Secondary and Barrhead High School.

The work was once again of a very high standard and the young people developed new skills through Claire’s careful tutoring.

There was an enormous amount of dedication, energy and talent on display during this year’s workshop, and the attendees were all a credit to their schools. We were also very impressed by the range of unique styles developed by each individual pupil, with all of the work outstanding and inspiring in its own way.

When asked what aspects of the 2024 Steven Campbell Trust workshop they found most helpful, pupils responded:

‘Meeting people with lots of different, unique styles and learning from them.’

‘Having 14 pieces of work in 2 days.’

‘Getting to see the finished result.’

‘Doing drawings worthy to be put in a folio.’

‘Adding tone/ creating strong underdrawings.’

‘Seeing our finished projects and learning past the previous struggles as we progressed.’

‘Learning more techniques to paint with.’

The wealth of materials supplied by Cass Art

Our thanks also to the staff at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum for their support, and for providing us with a wonderful creative environment in which to hold the class.

Here are some of the impressive results from this year’s workshop:

Below: Pupils pose with the work they produced individually over the course of the 2-day Steven Campbell Trust Workshop:

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John Byrne 1940 – 2023

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The Steven Campbell Trust has been deeply saddened to learn of the passing of John Byrne. John was a hugely talented and celebrated artist and friend, who we were privileged to have as a Patron of the Trust.

A remarkable man of many talents, we’ve been privileged to know and work with him for over 20 years.

Steven greatly admired John’s work and was delighted to collaborate with him. In 2005 Steven met and became friends with John and they worked on portraits of each other.

John’s life-sized painting depicts Steven as a looming solitary figure in black, seated and holding a palette and brushes. Steven’s portrait of John, Paisleycus Byrnicus Virus Invading Mr Gray, sees John at the centre of a rich Paisley pattern work, which makes reference to John’s birthplace. Both paintings are in the collection of Paisley Museum.

Our thoughts and love are with Jeanine & all who loved this wonderful man. His loss will be deeply felt by all.

The Steven Campbell Trust.

https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/waiting-paisleycus-byrnicus-virus-invading-mr-gray-189935

Photo credit: Paisley Museum and Art Galleries, Renfrewshire Council Collections

Education

Artists Talking : Timorous Beasties

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Artists Talking : Timorous Beasties

The Steven Campbell Trust continues to support young people studying art to develop their skills.

This year we have embarked on a new project which gives an insight into artists’ and designers’ professional practice. Artists are interviewed in their places of work by pupils from Glasgow Secondary schools. Questions have been carefully selected to meet the criteria of the National 5 Design Unit.

The filming has been undertaken by the film department of The City of Glasgow College. Eight students under the guidance of award winning director Marco Federici have come together through the Young Person’s Guarantee project. The Young Person’s Guarantee is a commitment to bring together employers, partners and young people and to connect every 16 to 24 year old in Scotland to the opportunity of a job, placement, training or volunteering with employers committed to the Guarantee.

This video shows the successful design team Timorous Beasties discussing their inspiration and methodologies.

The interview will be posted on YouTube so that all schools will have access to it at a time that suits them.

The Trust hopes that, using this as a model, we will be able to produce more resources for schools.

We welcome any feedback.

Hunt Medal

Eva M.V. Hewitt, Hunt Medal Winner 2023

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The Steven Campbell Trust were delighted to attend the VIP Directors private preview event at Glasgow School of Art on Thursday 1st June. It is always such a pleasure visiting GSA each year and seeing such a huge selection of talented artists. We would like to thank GSA for extending this invitation which was greatly appreciated, particularly Kirsty L. Barr, Head of Communications, The Glasgow School of Art.

Each year we attend the Degree Show to make our annual award of The Hunt Medal, to an artist who we believe demonstrates poetic creativity in their work. After much discussion on the exciting work on show, we were unanimous in our appreciation of the work of Eva M.V. Hewitt and are delighted to announce that Eva is the 2023 recipient of our Hunt Medal award. Everyone from the Trust would like to wish Eva much success in her future career.

“It was a real pleasure to meet everyone on Thursday afternoon. I am absolutely delighted to be the recipient of the Hunt Medal and still cannot quite believe it!! I feel very honoured to take my place among such illustrious previous award winners. Thank you again for such a fantastic opportunity!” – Eva M.V. Hewitt.

Eva M.V. Hewitt is a Scottish Fine Artist currently living and working in Glasgow.

Hewitt’s figurative depictions of the day to day capture the ephemeral beauty of the human condition. Articulating the inspiring qualities of the earthly and the ethereal, her paintings reflect the intersection of contemporary culture blended with traditional and Catholic iconography. Hewitt’s work expresses the heavenly, earthly, and worldly beauty of the everyday life, instilling a sense of timeless magic into all who encounter it. Through her use of figuration and intricate detail, Hewitt’s art celebrates the beauty of the divine at work within the quotidian.

The High Command, Oil on Canvas, 240cm x 230cm, 2023 ©️ Eva M.V. Hewitt 2023

Eva M.V Hewitt with The Steven Campbell Trust Director Carol Campbell.

Eva Hewitt

https://johnbyrneaward.org.uk/search/Eva+Hewitt/

https://evamhewitt.wixsite.com/footprints-of-faith

eva-hewitt_word_degree-show-statement-1-2 Download

Schools Workshops

Steven Campbell Trust Schools’ Workshops 2023

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One of the ways that the Trust continues to honour Steven’s life and work is through activities and workshops for schools.

This year, artist Claire Paterson, former winner of the Hunt Medal presented by the Trust, led an intensive two-day life-painting workshop at the Gallery of Modern Art for fifteen pupils from five Glasgow schools.

The work was once again of a very high standard and the young people developed new skills through Claire’s careful tutoring.

There was an enormous amount of dedication, energy and talent on display during this year’s workshop, and the attendees were all a credit to their schools.

When asked what aspects of the 2023 Steven Campbell Trust workshop they found most helpful, pupils responded:

‘I thought the most useful aspect of this workshop was having the space to create in any style I wanted.’

‘Having a dedicated space to work on art without firm expectations… trying out something new.’

‘Great advice from Claire and a great opportunity with the live model.’

‘The simple help of Claire’s suggestions.’

‘The tutors/artists who gave great advice and extra help.’

‘Advice given by the artists and the chance to work with new media/techniques.’

‘The tutors/helpers were very informative, showed new helpful techniques, were extremely nice.’

‘Made me more confident and loose.’

‘The constant help and criticism from the teachers – thanks to them I have learned a lot.’

We would like to give a massive thank you to Cass Art for generously supplying us with a wealth of art materials for use during the workshop – as well as gifting a magnificent goody bag filled with £65 worth of art supplies to each participating pupil. For charitable organisations like the Steven Campbell Trust, such support makes a huge difference, allowing educational events like this to run. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with Cass Art in the future.

The wealth of materials supplied by Cass Art

One of the magnificent goody bags supplied by Cass Art to each attendee

Our thanks also to the staff at Glasgow Museums for their support, and for providing us with a wonderful creative environment in which to hold the class.

Here are some of the impressive results from this year’s workshop: